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Trandar
Geography Trandar, ancient home of the Tran people and their decedents the Trandari, is a land of sweeping plains and luscious jungle forests, blessed with fertile soil and languishing rivers that give it's people the strength to forge a nation. From it's rolling grasslands to it's ancient Tran ruins, Trandar is a place of strange beauty, bizarrely untouched, and teeming with roaming Burranor. Yet it is the ancestral home of the proud Trandari, children of the old and mighty Tran race, from a time when magic still flowed strongly in the blood of the fey. With the wealth of Trandar, they have forged a bastion of hope, in the barbaric world. Landmarks The Akeva - Standing alone in the middle of the sprawling savannah of Trandar, there stands a lone stretch of wall, black as jet and 20 feet high, mirrored and twisting in vision. This mighty fractal is the last remaining trace of the bygone Tran city of Perseph, the capital of the Tranish kingdom that stretched across the lands of Trandar and beyond. It is a testament to the magnificent craftsmanship of the Tran, sleek and smooth, without friction, and ornamented in patterns of swirling waves and rising winds, intricate and tiny, as if merely brushed onto the Akeva with the lightest of touches. People who look to long into it's endless spirals often find themselves captivated by it, and must be torn away from it's beauty. Where once a city of untold majesty stood, there is now only 25 feet of stone. The Great Sapphire (The Amanetha) - Cutting through Trandar from the jungles to the east, there is a meandering river, fantastic to behold. The Amanetha's waters are clearest blue, as though they are actually part of some grand, trailing gem, it's surface changing in the light. The strange colour is the result of important minerals taken from the cliffs of the eastern jungles, that feed the soil around it and give the savannah new life all year round. It is with this river that the Trandari are able to feed themselves, as their lush farmland grows fine crops and grains, fuelled by the foreign vitamins. It is common practise to take shallow boats down The Great Sapphire's calm waters, and every year, a sailing tournament is held on it's sky blue surface. Time's End - If you visit the lands of the Trandari people you may here talk of a strange hill, though the locals hush up whenever you ask about it. If you dig a little deeper, you may find vague directions, and half described landmarks said to take you there should you follow them. If you truly persevere in your investigation, you will find yourself wandering the grasslands, searching for the hill, following nonsensical direction into nowhere. If you are lucky you will find it. Time's End is a hill somewhere within the flat plains of Trandar, where the source of the extinct Tran races fey power sprouted from. Time has diluted much of the power, but still it holds a peculiar effect. If you were to climb this hill, hours would melt into minutes, and years into seconds. People who walk onto that hill, lose their sense of time, and will reappear in the Trandari plains days or months later. To this day, it's location has not been recorded on a map. People The Trandari are the descendants of the ancient Tran elves, fey being who owned a vast kingdom. While the Trandari are primarily human, their feylike origins give them a lilac tinge to their skin, reminiscent of the Tran's deep purple skin. Trandari skin was once rumoured to extend life, due to it's magical appearance, but this rumour has since been put to rest, and Trandari are not, nor ever have been, killed for their skins. The face is much like a normal human, although the nose is often short and low set in comparison. Eyes are normally red or silver in colour, or any shade thereof, and heterochromia is far more common than in most types of humans. The lips tend to be thin and smooth, of a healthy pink colour, and the teeth have a light blue sheen, which can make them seem iridescent, or even luminous, although they do not emit light. The salivary glands in a Trandari are far smaller than those of a normal human, and often cause problems when eating more solid foods. This leads to a tendency towards soups and stews, or any softer food, in Trandari cuisine. The ribcage is thin and far more brittle than normal, with long tapered ribs that are easily shattered in the thinner parts. While this is considered a disadvantage in terms of battle, this structure serves to cushion the blows of Burranor, protecting from severe injury while herding livestock. The proportions of a Trandari are otherwise similar to a normal humans, in terms of arms and legs. Trandari age much the same way as humans, but the gestation period is about twice as long, taking a full year and a half for a foetus to mature. This is attributed to the minute amounts of magic that must be generated inside their blood and skin. The Trandari enjoy a wide and varied cultural mix, creating great works of art, engineering and music on a regular basis. The Trandari are as a whole very proud of their direct link to the power Tran elves from thousands of years ago, and much of their creative inspiration comes from relics of the Tran's old kingdom. Architecture involves long sweeping curves and inverted spirals, which gives their city of Askaer an organic flow to it, rather like the letters of their alphabet. Most Trandari art is highly impressionist rather than realist, much like other facets of their culture. Strong colour contrast with blurred lines and arcs make up the bulk of their painting and sculptures, often not depicting a scene or person at all, rather an emotion. Cuisine is minimalist, but complex, using a base bread, made from their colourful grains and soups spiced with herbs from the savannah. Music plays a large part in the everyday life of Trandari, and most people are expected to learn at least one instrument. In addition to regular instruments, the Trandari have a number of fine wooden and reed flutes and pipes, called Allians, which create soft murmuring drones, used to create harmony. Music is played on most street corners of Askaer, with professional street bands paid for by the government. In the country, communes often get together to sing and dance with one another after a day of work, and often will back up their folk songs with chords from Allians or Violas. Trandari culture greatly encourages and rewards creativity, holding competitions and inspiring the masses to create things of great beauty and function. This has led to swift development and hundreds of years of great works in Trandar, making a shining example of civilization in an otherwise brutal world. Resources Shavari is a multi-coloured grain that grows and is cultivated on the banks of the Amanetha. They come in colours of burgundy, silver-white and deep blues. The unique colours and tastes are the direct result of the minerals infused in the river water mixing with normal barley plants imported to Trandar hundreds of years ago. These grains form the staple of the Trandari diet. Gamaema Wood is a soft, supple wood which is sturdy enough to construct long lasting houses and keeps, but so light that it takes nearly no effort to transport. It owes this trait to the bubble like structure within the tree, which supports the tree without giving it extra weight. It is much sought after for creating boats and other vehicles. Great herds of Burranor, long brown haired cattle, roam the savannah to graze. They contain ample meat to feed the Trandari and give a nutritious milk, that is used to help raise young Trandari children. Their short stubby horns are also ideal for carving, and many pieces of fine art are created from such fragments. Upon coming to the international stage, the Trandari have begun to crave new cloths to create fabulous works of art from. Such materials are foreign in Trandar, and people will pay a high price in order to acquire some. Religion The Trandari have a loose belief in a great being that controls the universe and writes down all the events of time before they happen. This god was part of the Tranish pantheon before all the Tran died along with their kingdom. This beings name is Avoli, derived from the ancient Tranish name Avello, but it is considered taboo to say his true name, and as such is called 'The Scripter' in day to day life. Avoli is a distant god who never interferes directly in the affairs of mortals, only sitting and waiting, writing out the script of time. When he finally runs out of parchment, time itself will end, and all people will experience the euphoria of ascension to a higher state of mind. As old as time and the world itself, Avoli was around before time began, when all people lived in the same moment, in perfect harmony and balance, and Avoli gave himself the task of making sure it never ended. One day, however, a corruption began to creep through the joy of balance, as time itself began to stagnate from the lack of movement, and turn rotten, erasing lives from existence. In order to preserve time, Avoli began to write, causing time to move and the events of the world to occur. The blissful balance was broken, but time was saved. It is said Avoli intends to keep time moving until he can find a way to stop time stagnating. We only pray he works it out before he loses all his parchment. Some devote their lives to searching for the solution to the problem with time, although these people are few, since there is no organised religion in place. They sit in deep thought, sometimes for days or weeks at a time, pondering meaningful questions about time, or spending hours creating poultices and potions that could be used to combat the corruption, and ease the wounds in time, so that the world can go back to it's state of harmony. Holy men such as these usually gather in congregations in the jungles of Trandar and set up monasteries to be quiet and secluded. To this day they have not solved the problem that causes time to rot while still. References http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19163069&postcount=82 Category:Regions Category:Regions of Telluris